candygram

Rumor is the Amerijet pilots are tired of the teamsters and are starting to pass around cards. Wonder if they have the balls to do it or will ALPA even take them?

Riverside

Why wouldn't they take then? They took the canadians.

White Cap

What is the point of an ALPA drive? What more do you want to gain? Are people upset over the current contract? And exactly how many years would it waste before a new contract was negotiated?

tallpilot

Insurance for one. Teamsters’ don’t offer loss of license products designed for pilots. Buying it on your own without a group rate is ruinously expensive.

mudflap757

What to gain? Let’s see... Home basing, bid lines, elected representation instead of the teamsters telling us what’s best for us, accountability of the representatives, a real 401k, affordable insurance, and industry standard or better wages.

Are people upset at the current contract? I would say about 80% of the pilot group signing cards answers that question. Right now we’ll over half of the flying is away from Miami, mostly ETOPS, and will continue that way for the future. With a CBA that’s “Miami Centric” and prospects of permanent bases in CVG and other places, I would say the current CBA is ill equipped to deal with the future of the airline.

How many years would it waste? I’m not sure if the question. The CBA does not expire until December, and ALPA could be on the property before then, so besides the time it takes to set up the MEC and negotiating committee I don’t see any time wasted.

White Cap

Well, it seems to me all of these problems are internal issues. We all have elected reps. We all are fighting for better 401k, getaway/home basing. The IBT is set up such that the local has control. As for being Miami-centric, the fact that AJT has been in its past only a Miami and parts south airline. Of course a new contract would have to incorporate new realities. I won't lecture on the difficulties of working with the previous management, it is all here on APC. Most of the pilots have no idea how influential Bourne has been in getting rid of the previous management and scabs from training department. I really wish the new AJT well, but getting rid of the people that got you to this point for the potential of something better is wishful thinking. Additionally, looking at the deals being cut for your new competitors (Mesa and Sun Country) may be helpful in making that decision.

mudflap757

I don’t think David Borne had anything to do with getting rid of any management or scabs in the training department. If that be the case then why is DH still involved with negotiations or even still employed? Things changed when Basset sold to ZS Fund and they brought in their management team, but the swamp is still deep on the second floor. As for training or moving and scabs from training I’m not sure why you think Bourne had any influence there? Now if the fact that the CEO speaks directly to Bourne instead of the elected pilot group leaders(which there is none) about what is best for them is influence then I guess you would be right

White Cap

Trust me, I know. I have known DH for more than 20 years. He is a non-issue. There was a lot of behind the scene with Bourne and the CEO about righting the ship after the laughably incompetent management team that ole man Bassett had kissing his ass. Slowly, but surely, they were eliminated with PR (Vice president of strategic ops)and MM (scheduling) shown the door. One must find a replacement before dropping the ax. DH is in international sales or something. He is persona non grata in flight ops (since 2008, the FAA disallowed him from working there). In 2015, Bourne and myself came down to the local to speak to that current pilot group. Bassett (knowing he was about to sell his stake along with HIG) went around your negotiators and offered what was the absolute worst deal you can imagine( your CBA was void outside the USA). Bourne offered them a choice of IBT or freedom to sign it. Unbelievably, the IBT came within a few votes of losing. After the sale, there was a sit down with the new CEO and within days a new contract was offered. Yep, the direction of the company is no longer a Miami freight operation. The current contract is leaps and bounds over their first one, which was at least getting the company to have work rules. It was a bad contract, but it was pushed through with almost no participation from the scabs and sycophants that worked there.

So this is where your group is now in 2020. The pilots need a 5Y style contract at the very least to deal with new bases and some sort of home basing, per diem and many other new items. Just my 2 cents, looking at why Kalitta bailed (longer duty days than 1224 would tolerate), the current ATI contract, the Sun Country and Mesa ALPA contracts, I would have to say that the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence. I have heard that AJT now has some pretty competent people either flying or running the show. Why not run an EXCO with some of these guys and make those changes under the existing structure? When the IBT was asked in 2004 (for the third time) to sort out the mess (the chief pilot back then was a convicted felon) it wasn't for lack of wanting ALPA. The pilot group was too small. The IBT almost reluctantly took those guys on as a charity case. It took another 5 years of zero pilot participation and a smirking DH to force the group to get self help. The IBT crushed those knuckleheads.

Just some stuff to think about. It was of utmost importance to get AJT up to competitive wages, so the rest would not be lowballed in negotiations. The IBT believes in a "floor" on certain issues. Do what you want, but a lot of blood and sweat was given to get this former bottom feeding scumbag of an airline to where they are today. I wish all of you well.

Evidenz

Amerijet is not the same Amerijet of 4+ years ago. There has been a huge shake down of management and even the way Amerijet does business. Amerijet is slowly but surely moving away from the Caribbean market and moving into a world wide reach market.
from the years I have been here, the senior cadre, AKA guys who been here 6+ years, refuse to believe that Amerijet is moving away from the being at home every night airline.
Whitecap, you are the epidemy of the old pilot cadre here. A square mentality with a refusal to accept change that will benefit not only the pilot group but the entire company as a whole. You guys are stuck in an ugly past that you REFUSE to get over. Its like the typical relationship where one person gets cheated on and for the rest of the relationship you will never trust your partner or let go of what was done to you.
I myself am tired of hearing the same, “well you were not here when we were being paid XYZ and worked 20+ hours and forced us to fly broken airplanes” blah blah blah. I’m tired of asking them, “was someone holding a gun to you head back then?, why did you stay?” listen, I can appreciate the sacrifice and hard work that the top 30 pilots went through, it was hell, but then again, it was a choice to stay. Im tired of constantly being told that “you don’t know how bad it was”. there was a reason I never looked at Amerijet in the past, and it was precisely the horrific conditions pilots here endured. But I was smart enough not to come here. As I respect the hard work, I am not going to part take in a pity fest of something I was not a part off.
Amerijet is shifting and moving to a different direction and it is just common sense for the pilot group to want to adapt and move according to that new direction. Our current CBA is worthless in this new direction. I hate to bash on the CBA, as whitecap pointed out, it was the work of hard work and sacrifice. But at the same time, we have to wake up and smell the coffee and accept that this CBA is no longer relevant to our QOL or heck, even Amerijet. It blows my mind that the company has been refusing to come to negotiations early, knowing very well that this contract is hurting business! This CBA no longer serves the pilots nor Amerijet, so WTF are we doing?
Since I have been here the Union has sent a total of 2 note worthy Emails to the pilot group. One was to send a vote for that silly LOA, that BTW most pilots were reluctant to vote for, because of that permanent base BS. The union FORCED to vote for both LOAs with ONE vote. A union that does not have its members interest at hand is no union worthy to keep. And then, we got NOTHING, in return, not a half of a percent increase in pay, not NOTHING. All we got was “well the company is willing to negotiate early if we sign this” and the whole “the company does not want to open permanent bases so that LOA is basically moot”. Moot? Well BB and the upstairs crew is already working out the details to open up a permanent base in CVG and other bases. Have we also negotiated anything? NOPE they say we cant negotiate due to COVID 19 but in the meantime Amerijet keeps doing business as usual.
then there is the whole, what are the results of the LOA? Rummor has it DR even told a pilot that if he wanted to see the results of the LOA he would have to sue him in court. Yeah that is VERY union like.
for all we know that lousy LOA did not even pass!


Currently BB is turning into DH part 2. Since our last DO left, things have gone downhill, and FAST. We have no DO, no OCC director, our CP is forced to do crew scheduling and pilot pay, and our new scheduling manager is satan himself, a man who has wiped his behind with FARs and our contract, and has the union done something about it? NO.

This roster period most pilots did not get even close to 25% of the days off they bid, our friend SK has once again wiped his behind with out CBA and our union is nowhere to be found.]

Thing is whitecap over 85% of the pilot group is tired of the KP and FP personal union. We are tired of hearing the “you cant grieve that” or “there is no language for that” excuse. Funny thing is, and it is no secret that when it affects KP or FP then miraculously there is langue for their problems…. councidence? I don’t think so.

Right now we need protection from the evident safety and FAR rule violations that the lack of a DO and OCC director are presenting. Putting pilots into flights that are not qualified for, violating rest and duty time limits. We have no where to turn! Because when we bring these issues up, there is NO response!
sending a pilot who is not qualified to do ETOPS to fly an ETOPS trip? All because our friend SK has no idea about FARs or let me rephrase that, NO REGARD for FARs or regulations. All he cares about and I quote “the flight needed a crew and I crewed it my job is done” is SCARY.

So lets ask why ALPA?
because we are tired of the KP and FP union. We need a union to serve the pilot group, AS A WHOLE, not for the two individuals above. For example, the way amerijet is heading to, we NEED homebasing.
not like whitecap puts it “ a sort of home base” we already have a “sort of homebase” with temporary bases and Amerijet is about to wipe its behind with that too.
let me ask, how are you going to commute to CVG during COVID 19? Or even, try to come home when SK is already planning on making sure pilots cannot commute on their days off. How about the lack of commuting clauses? The day you miss two trips its your behind on the street. So Amerijet is very politely telling pilots either YOU MOVE or YOU MOVE.
what other supplemental 121 carried has permanent bases? ABX and lets see how well that’s going for them, oh yeah, BTW they are also represented by IBT.
all the other carries have HOMEBASE and most of them dumped IBT for ALPA. Why don’t you go ahead and see what their wages are while you are here on the forum, not just wages, 401ks, medical benefits, QOL in general.

what is going to happen the day Amerijet quits the carribean over more profitable business such as DOD? What then? Are you going to be at home in Miami every night? They will “permanent” base you where they feel like! You have to stop thinking Miami is Amerijets business, ITS NOT! And to quote our great leader BB “We are in the business of making money not to cater to pilots” . we need insurance and that comes in the form of a REAL union. IBT is NOT providing that.
and after months and months of silence now IBT wants to adapt a EXCO structure? Heck lets go over DR email. All a bunch of hopes and empty dreams! Nothing was solid nothing was even close to being brought up to fruition. All lies and more lies. He wouldn’t have sent that email post ALPA movement. Yeah now he realizes that more than 85% of the pilots want out and now hes offering what should have been offered YEARS ago. That ship has sailed! Oh and on his email NO MENTION OF HOMEBASE. Of course, since FP and KP don’t want homebaseing then it will NEVER be discussed. Well get ready because most the pilot group is fed up and we will get this change. The old cadre of pilots is shrinking and shrinking fast, the new guys are the great majority now. So either get on board or keep wishing for your day trip back to Miami airline. I believe that Swift, Eastern and Nother Aircargo offer that, so you are more than welcome to go and join them.

aviator249

As someone who has been at an ALPA carrier, and from what I have seen just in training so far and how the company handles things, there is need for desperate change.